This I believe

I believe in the power of choice. Although it may seem like we do not have control over the way something makes us feel, in a way, we do. We cannot control what others do or say to us or what happens to us. We can, however, control how it affects us.
When I was younger, I had a problem with letting other people get to me. My dad had the perfect solution. He would take me in his car, turn on the music, and just drive. He told me to just listen. I would concentrate so intently to the music that I forgot about being upset. Music became my healing power. Then, when I was ten, my life started to crumble. My dad got cancer. The doctors found a tumor in his head; they said his chances would be high if they caught it before the cancer spread. So, we went for it. He had the surgery and was fine, for about a year and a half. It came back. He survived for almost another year before he went into a coma. I went into his room everyday to talk to him because I knew he was there listening. I knew he would hold on for my family and me; he would endure his pain just so we would not suffer. Eventually, I knew I could not be selfish any longer. One morning, before anyone woke up, I crept into my dad’s room and told him that we knew he loved us and that it was ok to go. He died July 28, 2003. That day, I lost my best friend. I fell into a dark pit of grief and did not think I would ever recover. I watched as my friends enjoyed their last bit of summer with such enthusiasm and joy. How could they be so happy? All I could do was sit in my room and read the old books my dad and I used to read together or sleep so I could pretend like the whole thing was just another nightmare and when I woke up he would be there. One day, while reading, I heard the radio start to play one of those songs my dad and I listened to. Soon I found myself focusing in on the music; suddenly I was singing the words. As the song went on, I felt the grief leave. It was in that moment that I realized I had the power to be happy. I could choose to remember all the good memories about my dad and how much I love him instead of focusing on how much I miss him or the fact that he’s gone.
Choosing to be happy brought me out of a trance. Even though I could not choose what happened to me, I could still choose to be happy. Now, nothing can bring me down, I choose my happiness instead. I believe in the power of choice.